


Leather Jackets and Groceries

by apology_sprout



Category: The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals - Team StarKid
Genre: Autistic Henry Hidgens, Autistic Paul Matthews, Autistic Paul and Henry Hidgens is the headcannon hill I have decided to die on, F/M, Found Family, M/M, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-11
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:20:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25205374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/apology_sprout/pseuds/apology_sprout
Summary: Henry Hidgens hasn't had a family in 36 years, but when Emma Perkins decides to lend a helping hand to her 'Kooky Reclusive Biology Professor', Henry begins to move on from his past and work towards a better future.
Relationships: Chad/Henry Hidgens, Henry Hidgens & Emma Perkins, Henry Hidgens & Paul Matthews, Paul Matthews/Emma Perkins
Comments: 11
Kudos: 48





	1. Groceries and Documentaries

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is my first ever fanfiction, so I'm all ears for any feedback anyone has to offer. Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you enjoy! :)

Professor Henry Hidgens always wanted a family, but the years passed by so quickly that the chance came and went. Besides, no one wanted to talk to the crazy man and listen to his hypothesis about the end of the world. So, Henry lives alone in a self-built fortress and prepares for when the time finally comes.  
Henry lives alone for so long that he forgets how to live. He sleeps less and works more, and drinks more coffee than he eats food. He still teaches at the local college; he refuses to let his students down, but Henry is suffering, and no one notices. Or so Henry thinks.  
Emma Perkins has seen a lot in life, and when she sees her biology professor slowly waste away before her eyes, she decides to put an end to it. One morning before class, she stops by the local grocery store and grabs a few essential items before arriving in Henry's classroom. She waits until the lesson is finished, then approaches the desk nervously but with such a sense of determination that Henry looks up from his desk.

"Yes, Emma?" Says Henry, staring at her tiredly but with a hint of hope in the back of his mind. No one speaks to him anymore, and despite him saying that he only needs his Alexa for company he's painfully lonely. Emma watches him for a moment before she unceremoniously drops the plastic bag full of food on his desk.

"I got you some groceries." She says a bit too quickly. He stares at the bag, then back at her.

"Yes. I can see that." Henry says cautiously, unsure of how to respond.

"People usually say thank you." Says Emma, in her usual abrupt tone. When silence fills the room, she takes a step back and takes a deep breath.

"Look, I know when people aren't doing ok. I've been there. I'm not gonna force you to do anything you don't want to do, but just think about looking after yourself, ok?" She turns around and walks out of the classroom before Henry can reply, leaving him alone behind his desk.

Staring at the bag for a few seconds, he picks it up and puts it in his satchel before going back to his car. On the drive home, he thinks about Emma and her groceries. He thinks about looking after himself the way he knows he should, but can't seem to manage. He thinks about the last time he felt happy.  
His mind goes back to Chad and all those days on the football field. He loved all the boys. Of course, he did, most of them were like brothers to him, but Chad was different. Chad had his long brown hair put back in a ponytail and wore leather jackets and smelt a bit like cigarettes. Henry liked Chad because he liked sports, but he also liked musicals and would always listen to him when he spoke about his show that he would tour the world someday. Henry and Chad would sit for hours, just the two of them, and talk about what they'd do in the future. Sometimes they did other things. Sometimes they'd-  
Henry pulls up to the keypad at the end of his driveway and enters the code, watching the metal gates slide open to let him through. He doesn't want to think about Chad or the football field or his stupid musical. He wants to do some experiments and mark his papers and ignore the strange feeling that engulfs his chest. When he reaches his garage, Henry exits his car and picks up his satchel from the passenger's seat, throwing it over his shoulder as he unlocks his front door and enters his house.

The house is entirely dark except for the soft glow of the various Alexa's scattered around the home. Henry smiles softly and yells, his voice echoing off the metal walls.  
"Alexa, I'm home!" For a second, there is nothing, then all the lights turn on, and a familiar robotic voice responds.

"Hello Henry, it's nice to see you again. How was your day at work?" 

Henry chuckles softly.  
"The usual. Lectures and presentations, that sort of thing." Alexa doesn't respond to this, she never does, but Henry feels the knot in his chest loosen slightly. He dumps his satchel onto the ground, and an apple rolls out onto the floor.

"Where did..." Henry starts but trails off. He remembers Emma and their brief conversation. The words' look after yourself' trail through his mind and he bends down to pick up the bag. He stares at the contents: A loaf of bread, a small carton of milk, a stick of butter, three apples, eggs and a crumpled handwritten note. Taking the note out of the bag, he reads it as he heads into the kitchen.

**Professor Hidgens,  
Look, I don't want to pry too deep into your personal life. I'm an avid fan of privacy, believe me. But I know that you've not been doing so great and I don't want to see you suffer.  
Life is full of second chances. I'm living through mine right now. And I know it probably feels like everything is awful and that you don't deserve happiness, but that's not true. People need you. No one else can bring what you can do into the world. Just try to stick around, ok?  
\- Emma (P.S.: For the record, I don't think that your whole 'doomsday planning' thing is such a bad idea.) **

When he reaches the kitchen, Henry holds onto the edge of a countertop and cries. He stands and cries for what feels like hours before he takes some bread out of its packaging and puts it in the toaster. While the bread cooks, he goes about putting the rest of the groceries away. He sticks the note on his fridge with a magnet he finds in a drawer in his kitchen. A magnet with the faded picture of a younger Henry with another young man in a leather jacket printed onto it. Both are smiling, both with their mouths and their eyes, and Henry almost cries again when the toast pops.  
He doesn't, though. Instead, he butters his toast and cuts an apple and sits at his table and eats. Across from him, the magnet watches his every movement. Henry can almost hear his past self taunting him. _'Look at how happy I am Henry, look at everything you could have had if you hadn't have fucked everything up with your big stupid mouth.' _He listens to this, he can't help it, but he feels a small piece of confidence rise in his chest.__

__"Shut up," Henry says to the magnet. He feels a bit stupid, but he also doesn't feel like it is watching him anymore. It's just a magnet on his fridge that holds up a piece of paper. Nothing more. The picture stays with him, though. It swims in the back of his mind as he marks his papers. He sees it in the groups of cells he studies under his microscope in the lab, and he swears he sees a leather jacket hanging on his coat rack, but when he turns around it isn't there anymore. After hours of wandering around his home, he decides to go to sleep. Partially because of the note on his fridge, but mostly because he doesn't want to have to think about that picture anymore._ _

__Getting into bed, Henry bids Alexa goodnight, and she responds by turning all the lights off and telling him to sleep well. He watched the gentle pulsing of the circular light of her speaker system, which reminds him of a different evening in a different bed. It's 1977, he's 21 years old, and Chad is next to him, watching the newest episode of 'In Search of…' on Chad's portable T.V. This episode is about Martians, but Henry isn't paying too much attention to it. He's watching Chad, who has propped his head on his arms and is studying the T.V. with a great degree of interest. Henry likes watching Chad when they watch documentaries because it's the only time he seems to let himself get fully immersed in the things he likes, the only time he lets himself be himself, and Henry loves it._ _

__"This is actually really interesting," Chad says enthusiastically. "I mean, who'd've thought that climate change could be so destructive. It makes you think."_ _

__Henry says nothing; he just stares at Chad's face and smiles at him._ _

__"What? What are you looking at me like that for?" Says Chad indignantly, now sitting upright. Embarrassed to be caught, Henry opens his mouth and tries to come up with a good excuse, but before he can, Chad just laughs._ _

__"I'm just kidding babe." He says and flicks his eyes towards the T.V. screen momentarily before leaning forward and giving Henry a quick peck on the lips before moving away again. Henry, if possible, grows even more embarrassed, and Chad just smiles and leans back on the bed, holding out his arm and gesturing for Henry to join him. He does, and as Henry leans back to lean on Chad and lay his head on his chest, he feels a strange warmth settle through him. Not embarrassment, but something else. Something better._ _

__A loud ringing sounds through the air and sends Henry flying out of bed and onto the floor. He looks around groggily for a few seconds before seeing the familiar Alexa._ _

__"Alright, alright, I'm awake. Alexa, turn off the alarm!" He yells, standing up slowly. The clock on the bedroom wall tells him that it's 8:45 and that he's going to be late for his morning class. Henry sighs and looks back at the empty bed before pulling on some clothes and running towards the door, grabbing his satchel as he leaves. He drives to work in silence, thinking about his dream before deciding to try to push it towards the back of his mind. Not today, he decides, as he runs to his classroom. He won't think about this today. Today, his students need him, and he needs to talk to one of them._ _


	2. Lectures And Ham Sandwhiches

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Here is Chapter 2! 
> 
> I'm really enjoying writing this! If you have any ideas, feedback or just something you want to say, then please comment. I truly appreciate everyone who has commented and/or given me kudos so far. It means a lot.
> 
> I hope you enjoy this new chapter!
> 
> \- Izzie :)

The next morning, Henry drives to work in silence. He doesn't think about Chad and instead thinks about Emma and what he will say to thank her. It's been a long time since he's held a conversation for more than ten seconds (he finds saying "bye!" after a student wishes him farewell after class an achievement), so he's forgotten most if not all of his social skills. 

He contemplates this as he enters the building, paying little attention to his surroundings. This isn't unusual, but it has been a while since Henry has been this nervous about something. He wants to seem sincere but not overwhelming, and the last thing he'd want to do is make her uncomfortable. Despite his awkwardness, Henry finds Emma to be a competent student, and she had always been kind to him.

He enters his classroom in somewhat of a dreamlike state until a cheerful voice interrupts him from his thoughts.

"Hello, Professor!" The voice Henry identifies as a student named Leroy Jones says to him.

"Good morning, Leroy." Says Henry, smiling politely before picking up his pace to rush to his desk. Once he arrives, he places his satchel on top of it and calls the class to attention. The remainder of the lecture goes rather well. Students are silent other than when they ask questions, and from what Henry can see, everyone seems to be taking notes. By the end of the two hours, the whiteboard is full of diagrams and scribbles, and the students begin to file out of the classroom happily chatting amongst each other. 

Emma is one of the last students remaining in the classroom, shoving papers into an old rucksack. Henry stares at her for a second, then braces himself and makes his way towards her. As he approaches, he is painfully aware of his footsteps echoing in the now almost empty room. Still, he carries on and stops at what he feels is a respectful distance in front of her before he makes himself known.

"Emma, may I talk to you for a minute." Says Henry, hoping that his nerves aren't showing. He watches as Emma struggles with the papers and curses.

"Sorry Professor, these stupid papers won't fit in here and..." She stops and takes a deep breath before continuing.

"Of course, is something wrong?" She asks, trying to tone down the evident frustration in her voice.

"No! No. You haven't done anything wrong. I just wanted to say thank you for the note and the groceries. It was..." Henry stops for a second. He thinks about how to best phrase what he wants to express. Considering this for a moment, he forms a response.

"Very kind of you. I appreciate it." Henry finishes, looking periodically at her face and the ground so that he doesn't have to decipher any emotions that may be present on Emma's face. Despite the brevity of his statement, it held a lot of emotional truth, and although he didn't want Emma to be upset, he also did not want to face any more social rejections first hand.

To Henry's surprise, however, Emma just smiles at him and nods.

"No problem. As I said, I know when people are having a rough time." She thinks for a moment and then says.

"Not to pry, Professor, because I totally get if this isn't something you want to answer, but when was the last time you hung out with someone?" Emma says the last part of this sentence slowly, acutely aware of the boundaries she's crossing with this question.

Henry stares at her. If this were anyone else, he would have quickly excused himself from the conversation and gone home. But, for some reason, he feels safe answering the question if Emma is asking. He steadies himself and then, looking at the ground, answers.

"I don't know what you mean by 'hanging out', but this is the most extended conversation I've had with someone in quite some time." He finishes and glances at Emma again, who looks at him sadly. Not in a derogatory sort of way, but in a way that conveys an empathetic response with no words.

Emma smiles at him, then straightens herself.

"Would you like to have lunch with me tomorrow? I usually sit on one of the benches on campus and do work by myself, but it's probably better to socialise, right? Only if you want to!" The more she talks, the faster she gets, and it takes Henry a moment to fully process what she's just said.

"I'd like that. Thank you." Says Henry, and smiles at Emma awkwardly. Seeing that the conversation had come to a close, Emma bids Henry goodbye and leaves the classroom. As Henry walks back to his desk and begins to put his things away, he finds himself smiling. The conversation went well! And, more importantly, he will be eating lunch with another human being for the first time in at least a decade.

His excitement lasts to his car, the journey home and halfway through making a sandwich in his kitchen. Buttering the bread, he is about to reach for some ham when he spots the magnet again. It doesn't taunt him this time but instead stares at him expectantly like its been waiting to talk to him.

"You're just a magnet. Leave me alone." Henry says in a way that sounds confident, though he eyes the magnet suspiciously. He turns around to place the ham on the bread and watches Chad's smiling face as he walks to the table. It reminds him of a different time which involved both ham sandwiches and his former lover.

Two plates sit on a countertop next to a sink, one with the crusts of a ham sandwich. The other has been stacked underneath it, though if you lifted it, you would see that it is almost spotlessly clean. In the adjoining room, Henry Hidgens and Chad Reynolds are side by side on a somewhat tattered blue sofa that sags in the middle. Because of this dent in the cushions, the two sit very close together, Chad with his legs over Henry's and Henry with his head on Chad's shoulder. 

They are in their new apartment, purchased after Chad "borrowed" a substantial amount of money from his father's bank account. While Chad uses his bachelor's degree to sit comfortably at an office job, Henry is now working towards a PhD in Biology. Despite both having strenuous workloads and long hours away from each other, they're happy.

The two are having what Chad likes to call a 'polite debate', where they pick a topic and each pick a side and present evidence to the other why their side is the best. The current theme is 'the best sandwich filling', and while Henry defends ham with a burning passion, Chad leads a defence equally as reliable for peanut butter and jelly.

"Ham is plain Henry. With ham, you just get one flavour, and even if you put butter on it, it's still bland. With peanut butter and jelly, you get savoury and sweet. It's the perfect combination!" Says Chad, waving one of his arms dramatically while the other comfortably rests across Henry's shoulder.

"Peanut butter and jelly is a children's sandwich combination. No respectable person cares about sweet a sandwich is Chad. It's about texture. The somewhat grainy feel of the bread versus the sleekness of the ham makes it the best filling. There's no better option!" Henry retorts.

"Babe, first of all, peanut butter and jelly is not a 'children's filling', it's a very respectable and adult choice. Secondly, who the fuck describes bread as 'coarse'? What does that even mean?" Chad says and laughs at Henry's annoyed expression.

"Go get a dictionary," Henry says, looking directly into Henry's eyes.

"What?"

"Go get a dictionary from that bookshelf over there," He points to a corner of the apartment. "Then, come back here and read to me the definition of 'coarse'," Henry says, steel determination on his face.

"Henry, I'm not gonna do that." Says Chad, chuckling slightly at Henry's incredulous expression.

"Yes, you are." Says Henry, shoving Chad's legs off of him.

"And why will I be doing that?"

"So I can prove your dumb ass wrong." Says Henry, laughing as Chad whacks him over the head with a pillow. He watches as Chad pulls a dictionary from the bookshelf, causing a few random novels to fall, and heads back to Henry. Chad jumps back down onto the sofa, causing the entire thing to shudder and the already enormous dent grow further.

"Chad!" Henry yelps as he sinks further.

Chad, hell-bent on revenge, ignores him and flicks through the dictionary at lightning speed until he reaches the word he's looking for. 

"Coarse. An adjective meaning rough or harsh in texture," He looks at Henry, who is wriggling into a more comfortable position.

"How is bread 'rough'?" Chad asks, reaching out his hand which Henry takes to pull himself up. He laughs again as Henry stutters and tries to explain why bread can be defined as rough for a variety of reasons, giving extensive examples as to why he is right. There aren't many things that Chad Reynolds can say he enjoys, but seeing his boyfriend talk so passionately about something so stupid is one of them. He watches Henry for a bit longer, and then leans in and kisses him.

Henry is so caught off guard by said kiss that he doesn't realise it's happening until he starts to kiss back. It doesn't last for very long, but it lasts long enough for Henry to turn a deep shade of red and Chad to smile softly to himself. When they break apart, they fondly stare at each other, each taking in the features of the others face before they both lean in again. The second kiss lasts much longer, and there are many more kisses after that before they decide to stop. In the kitchen, much like their debate, the remains of the ham sandwiches sit forgotten.


	3. Lunchtime Gossip and Haunted Magnets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry about the wait! 
> 
> I'll try to upload more consistently but I'm back at Uni so I'll be a bit busy!
> 
> I hope you all enjoy this new chapter! Both Henry and Paul are Autistic in this story (mostly because I like the headcanon but also because I'm Autistic and I say so.)
> 
> Thank you all so much for reading, If there's anything I can improve on please let me know! 
> 
> \- Izzie :)

The next morning Henry anxiously packs his lunch. Most of the ingredients consist of the groceries that Emma had brought him, but he'd forced himself to stop at a 7-Eleven to buy himself a pack of Spicy Jalapeno Kettle Chips. He hadn't had any in years, and from a quick Google search he'd done the night before, he discovered that most people ate chips with their lunch. His search for lunch etiquette had also led him to find out a fascinating fact about lunch boxes that he decided to save for a moment that the conversation died down and became awkward. His lunchbox was dark blue and old, being one that Chad had given to him when they moved into their first apartment. 

It still had a small smiley face written in Sharpie that Chad had insisted on adding for 'personalisation', even though Henry had liked it how it was. Henry smiled at the memory, then packed his lunch and shoved it into his satchel. On this particular day, Henry's students were given their graded mid-term papers. Since Henry insisted on marking physical copies, his satchel was stuffed to the brim with paper, as was a secondary cloth bag that he'd gotten at a Sci-Fi convention in 1996.

By the time Henry arrives at work, the strap of the satchel has made a small dent in his shoulder, and the anxious fiddling of his fingers have frayed one of the leather buckle straps. The secondary cloth bag is hanging on by a thread, quite literally, as one of the handles has completely broken off. He quickly makes his way to his classroom and walks past the small group of students that have already gathered in the classroom. He makes eye contact with Emma, who smiles at him, and he gives her a short wave back before continuing to his desk.

As Henry piles the papers on his desk, he hears the rest of his students come in. The familiar greeting of Leroy Jones rings across the room, and Henry looks up to see Leroy waving at him from the classroom door. As always, Henry smiles politely at him, then continues to place out papers.

When the final group of students have seated themselves, Henry clears his throat, and the various bouts of chatter die down into silence. Today's lesson is one about the growth and upkeep of plants such as tobacco, and about halfway through the session, Emma puts up her hand.

"Yes, Emma?" Says Henry, shocked. He has never seen Emma raise her hand in a lecture before.

"Could this method be applied to other plants. For example, plants with more recreational purposes?" Emma asks.

"If you're asking if you could use this method to grow marijuana plants, then the answer is yes," Henry says cautiously." May I ask why you want to know that Emma?" 

"Oh. No real reason Professor. Just curious." Emma replies, flashing him a quick smile before returning to taking a copious amount of notes.

Henry continues his lesson with little disturbance and forgets Emma's question shortly after she asks it. When the clock hits one, Henry dismisses his students and repacks his bag, looking up from his desk every so often to make sure that everyone is collecting their paper on the way out. As he bundles up his broken tote bag, he notices someone lingering near the desk.

Henry looks up and identifies this mysterious figure as Emma, who puts her report into her bag and idles by the desk, looking expectantly at him. It's at this moment that Henry remembers their lunch meeting, and panics slightly. Luckily, Emma doesn't seem to notice.

"Ready when you are Professor. Take your time." She says, in what he assumes is supposed to be a kind tone, though it sounds strained.

"My apologies Emma. I'm ready." Henry says, giving her a quick smile before glancing down at his feet.

"It's ok. I don't mean to be crabby. It's just. Nevermind. I'm not gonna let someone's crappy behaviour ruin my lunch." Emma says, walking out of the classroom so quickly that Henry is almost left behind.

They walk in a comfortable silence until they reach an unoccupied bench in the outside courtyard. Emma unceremoniously theories her bag onto the table and sits down, leaving Henry to sit down gingerly across from her and pull his lunchbox out of his satchel. Emma regards this for a moment, then pulls out a crumpled plastic-wrapped sandwich and bruised apple out of the bag. This action both confuses and upsets Henry, as he feels as though all of his previous research into lunchtime habits had been futile. His interior feelings must show on his outward expression because Emma looks down at her meal and then looks back at Henry with a somewhat bemused look on her face.

"Is there something wrong with my lunch Professor?" She says. Henry suddenly feels very embarrassed, not knowing exactly how to explain the problem to her. From previous experiences, however, he knows that not explaining himself tended to make other people upset with him. He takes a breath.

"I was under the impression that people had lunch boxes to put their food in and you don't have one. Also, your sandwich is crushed and will most likely taste like tin foil which is gross." Henry says hurriedly, before opening his lunchbox and taking a very loud bite of his apple. Emma contemplates his answer, staring at the Professor with a newfound sense of understanding. This reminded her of a conversation she'd once had with Paul, who became confused when someone had asked him to stop staring at them. Paul had come to the understanding that people liked eye contact whilst speaking, but he'd gotten confused about how much eye contact he was supposed to give someone. Emma, after managing to calm down the situation, had had to gently explain to Paul that people usually stopped making eye contact with the other person after their conversation was over. Paul had protested that he was only trying to be polite by using social cues, and the two had gone back and forth in such a way until Emma had managed to give Paul an explanation that satisfied him.  
"Well," Emma starts, and Henry gazes up from his eating to look at her. "Most people do have lunch boxes, but I was gonna be late this morning, so I just threw everything in my bag. When I'm not late, I do have a lunchbox. My sandwich usually tastes like tin foil, so I don't really mind that. I can understand why it might upset you, though." As Emma finishes, she watches Henry pick up a ham sandwich and peel off the crusts so that only the bread was left. 

"Thank you for explaining," Henry says, placing the final crust of his sandwich down on the plastic wrap he had stored it in. It occurred to him that that was the first time in a while, he had been able to express his confusion about something and have another person solve it. He thinks about what Emma said for a second more, then adds.

"Your sandwiches will stop tasting like tin foil if you wrap them in plastic. Or if you get one of those lunch boxes with the clip-on lids and the food compartments."

Emma laughs.

"You mean a Bento lunchbox? I was thinking about getting one of those actually."

Henry nods.

"You should. Then you won't have crushed or gross tasting sandwiches." 

Emma chuckles at this and Henry smiles to himself. He'd forgotten how nice it was to have lunch with another human being. The rest of lunch is spent engaged in idle chit chat or discussions about each other's lunch choices. Henry offers Emma some of his chips, and she eats most of the bag before he remembers to take them back. By the time lunch ends, Henry is happy, and Emma seems slightly less agitated as she packs up her bag to head to her next class. The two say their polite goodbyes, but as Emma turns to leave Henry remembers something he wanted to ask.

"You said you were feeling angry earlier. What was wrong?" 

Emma stops and sighs. She opens her mouth to say something but falls silent again for a second before turning back to Henry.

"It wasn't anything too bad, don't worry about it. It was nice having lunch with you, though!" She says, waving goodbye and walking away. Henry doesn't believe her but decides to let it go and walk back to his car. The drive home is uneventful, and Henry arrives home happy. He opens the front door and says hello to Alexa, who gives him his usual greeting as he sets down his belongings and walks into the kitchen to dispose of the remains of his lunch. As he walks in, the magnet catches his eye at the edge of his vision, and he tries to ignore it. His day will not be ruined by that magnet again.  
It is ten-thirty in the evening, and Henry Hidgens sits in front of his fridge on a kitchen stool, eye to eye with a magnet that he is relatively sure is cursed and/or possessed. This is the third time in the past 36 years that he has thought about Chad, and with both occurrences happening, after he found the magnet, he can't just rule this off as coincidence. He won't. Something bigger is at play here, and he knows it. 

The house is painfully quiet. Henry considers talking to Alexa, but after thinking about it for a bit longer, he decides that this is something he needs silence for. So, he sits on his stool and watches the magnet, waiting for one of the faces to wink or twist into a gruesome smile. This doesn't happen, but Henry finds himself drawn to what his younger self is wearing. The particular item is nothing incredibly special, a blue t-shirt with the phrase 'It's seahorse time!' emblazoned over a cartoon seahorse winking. Still, at the same time, he gets the overwhelming feeling of importance when he looks at it. Whatever secrets this t-shirt holds, Henry has to uncover them for his peace of mind if nothing else.


	4. Coffee Shops and First Meetings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all!
> 
> Apologies that this is so late. I sort of drifted out of the fandom but I still really enjoy writing this.
> 
> Hopefully updates will be more regular soon!
> 
> Thank you so much for reading,
> 
> Izzie 😊

Emma Perkins had somehow managed to live both a boring life and an extraordinary one simultaneously. Her childhood, which for the most part had been exceptionally dull, had forced her to develop a strong sense of character which horrified her parents and her older sister. Mr and Mrs Perkins were the definition of 'prim and proper' and made it painfully evident that Jane was their favourite, electing to ignore their youngest daughter. The latter was not opposed to a fight (though Emma always argued it was for the right reasons).

As the years went by, Emma slowly distanced herself from her family until, at age 18, she disappeared from Hatchetfield altogether. At first, her family attempted contact, but after receiving no response, they quickly moved on. Her parents settling into early retirement and Jane graduating from college and having a family of her own shortly after. 

All of the reasons above were precisely why Emma had not announced her return home to her family. Partially because she has no wish to, but even the small part of her that wanted her family's validation knew that they wouldn't accept her as she was. A Perkins wanting to start a pot farm would not go down well and would end in at least one parent crying and Emma throwing something across the room in a fit of rage.

Truth be told, Emma wasn't sure why she'd initially returned to Hatchetfield at all. At first, she avoided the centre of town, fearing being spotted by a family member. Still, this fear was quickly displaced as she witnessed Jane walk past her with her husband and young son, seemingly not recognising her or even noticing she was there. The rush of invisibility inspired her to make the most of the situation, and get a part-time job at Beanies.

Work was mostly very dull, and Emma had to fight back the urge to argue with her co-workers daily. Everything changed when Paul first walked in. The first thing Emma noticed about Paul was how awkward the man's entire presence seemed to be. The moment he opened the door of the coffee shop, she couldn't seem to tear her eyes away from him. He reminded her, at first, of a few kids she'd befriended during her time at high school, and the memory made her smile. They'd been some of the best friends she'd ever had.

Still looking like a deer trapped in headlights, the man made his way to the till and gazed at the menu behind it. Emma could hear her co-workers giggling behind her, and that made her furious. The guy was anxious, so what? Let him order in peace idiots. She saw Zoey roll her eyes in the reflection of a coffee machine and was about to turn around and tell her to shut the hell up when the man spoke.

"Hi. Can I have a black coffee and an iced caramel frappe? Please?" The man said in a voice that was somehow monotonous and full of fear. 

"Sure! Coming right up!" Emma replied, her tone somewhat more friendly than the usual chipper drill Zoey had forced upon her in the guise of good customer service. As she went about preparing his drinks, she noticed the man scanning every inch of the counter before finally settling his gaze back on her, then quickly looking away. Usually, this would creep Emma out a bit, but today she was intrigued. Who was this guy? Why was he acting like he'd never been in a coffee shop before?

Her curiosities were somewhat answered when, after handing the man his drinks, he asked rather abruptly.

"Do you like working here?"

Emma paused, then looked around. Zoey was with all the other girls in the break room. She could, if she wanted to, be honest, but she wasn't 100% sure her remark would go unnoticed.

"It's… fine."

"I'd hate to work here. It sucks." 

Emma raised an eyebrow, and the man continued rather rapidly.

"Not that YOU suck, I mean like the people that aren't you. Like your coworkers and the customer and all the loud machines. It's awful." The man finished, gazing back down at his drinks again.

Emma laughed.

"You know what. You're not wrong, but I'm stuck here for the time being." 

"Why can't you just get a different job?" Asked the man.

Emma considered this.

"Well, this is the only place that would hire me that was just about tolerable."

The man nodded in understanding.

"Yeah. I get that. People can be really shitty sometimes."

Emma laughed again, somewhat surprised at the man's bluntness.

"Yeah. They can."

The man chuckled. Looking at Emma again briefly. Emma considered him for a moment, then made up her mind.

"I'm Emma, by the way. I figured you should know someone's name here. So it'll be easier to order next time." She said, holding out her hand.

The man paused for a second to move both of his drinks into one hand before shaking hers in return.

"I'm Paul." 

Emma smiled at him, ignoring the angry customer that was next in line.

"Well, Paul, it's a pleasure to meet you."

The man smiled politely at her again, exciting the coffee shop with a wave. The rest of Emma's workday was fairly standard, but she found herself finding solace in the image of this strange man named Paul. The more she thought about him, the more she realised she wanted to get to know him better, which was a sensation she hadn't felt in a long time.

She thought back to high school and her old friends, how they'd sit on an outside table at lunch and get in debates about the weirdest topics. One day her friend Laurie had spent the entire day raving to her about Pokemon, which had lead to the two of them binge-watching every single episode released at the time. She didn't know why Paul reminded her of Laurie, but it wasn't an unpleasant feeling. 

She couldn't wait to get to know Paul better.


End file.
